The White House gave Clark Atlanta University Alumni Association president Marshall J. Taggart Jr. the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for national and community service.

It’s the highest honor among a series of awards given to citizens under the President’s Volunteer Service Award program. To qualify, Taggart had to contribute a minimum of 4,000 hours of service during his lifetime.

Taggart has been a steadfast ally of CAU and has secured tens of thousands of dollars in donations for the university. The award comes as Taggart enters his second year as both president of the CAU alumni association and a member of the university’s board of trustees.

“I am very humbled and honored to be recognized by President Obama with such a prestigious award,” Taggart said. “I look forward to continuing a legacy of service to my alma mater and assisting students to matriculate and graduate from Clark Atlanta University.”

Taggart graduated from CAU in 1992 with a B.A. in accounting. He received his Master of Public Administration from there in 1997, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in political science and government.